VI

BEFORE THE DOOR

Though Lord Kilgobbin, when he awoke somewhat late in the afternoon, did
not exactly complain of headache, he was free to admit that his faculties
were slightly clouded, and that his memory was not to the desired extent
retentive of all that passed on the preceding night. Indeed, beyond the
fact--which he reiterated with great energy--that 'old Flood, Tory though
he was, was a good fellow, an excellent fellow, and had a marvellous bin
of port wine,' his son Dick was totally unable to get any information from
him. 'Bigot, if you like, or Blue Protestant, and all the rest of it; but
a fine hearty old soul, and an Irishman to the heart's core!' That was the
sum of information which a two hours' close cross-examination elicited; and
Dick was sulkily about to leave the room in blank disappointment when the
old man suddenly amazed him by asking: 'And do you tell me that you have
been lounging about the town all the morning and have learned nothing? Were
you down to the gaol? Have you seen O'Shea? What's _his_ account of it?
Who began the row? Has he any bones broken? Do you know anything at all?'
cried he, as the blank look of the astonished youth seemed to imply utter
ignorance, as well as dismay.

'First of all,' said Dick, drawing a long breath, 'I have not seen O'Shea;
nobody is admitted to see him. His injuries about the head are so severe
the doctors are in dread of erysipelas.'

'What if he had? Have not every one of us had the erysipelas some time or
other; and, barring the itching, what's the great harm?'

'The doctors declare that if it come, they will not answer for his life.'

'They know best, and I'm afraid they know why also. Oh dear, oh dear!
if there's anything the world makes no progress in, it's the science of
medicine. Everybody now dies of what we all used to have when I was a boy!
Sore throats, smallpox, colic, are all fatal since they've found out Greek
names for them, and with their old vulgar titles they killed nobody.'

'Gorman is certainly in a bad way, and Dr. Rogan says it will be some days
before he could pronounce him out of danger.'

'Can he be removed? Can we take him back with us to Kilgobbin?'

'That is utterly out of the question; he cannot be stirred, and requires
the most absolute rest and quiet. Besides that, there is another
difficulty--I don't know if they would permit us to take him away.'

'What! do you mean, refuse our bail?'

'They have got affidavi